


An Admirer

by redtaxi



Series: Mister Holmes the Younger: Adventures [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/M, Parentlock, The Sally Donovan and Molly Hooper Appreciation Society presents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-02-12 11:04:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2107431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redtaxi/pseuds/redtaxi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So who leaves a kid in the Met late at night? Donovan investigates and accidentally makes a friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Admirer

**Author's Note:**

> The return of William finds him making new friends in odd places. This has faint sherlolly so I promise a Mister Holmes the Younger piece of sherlolly goodness in the future. A special thankyou to those who continue to read these little useless tidbits. You are tooo amazing, you know that!

The department was filtering out; the on goings of a Wednesday don't normally involve such an exodus but at four, Donovan was already finding the cubicles of her colleagues, emptied and abandoned.  
  
Taking a worried look to her own desk, it is clear that she wouldn't be leaving early.  
  
"Jones?" She called out to a junior PC still perched at her desk. "Did Dimmock pass on the Matterson's ballistics?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Gave them to me before he left." As she was passed the document, Donovan saw the budding leg of her colleague, jump up impatiently. No doubt eager to join their cohort down at the pub.  
  
She raked a weary hand through her hand as she spoke,  "Head home, Constable. I can handle it here."  
  
"What of the kid, ma'am?"  
  
"Kid?" Donovan leaned out of her doorway, dipping low as she scanned the corridor where lo and behold, on the plastic seats pushed against the wall, sat a young boy, almost overshadowed by his large, puffy parka.  
  
"Jesus, a kid. Who leaves a kid here?" She muttered, scanning the room for the absent minder as her junior PC began to pick up her stuff, a coat swung over her shoulder in anticipation. "Go on, I'll---yeah, I'll deal with it."  
  
Half wishing she could call Jones back, Donovan muttered to herself before heading down the corridor, straight towards the boy whose head lifted only an inch as he heard her approach.  
  
"You alright there? Someone here with you?" She spoke softly, leaning over to meet his height.  
  
The boy jolted up, startling Donovan who didn't expect to be faced with such an inquisitive look, especially from a child. She waited patiently as the boy suddenly turned a deep red, ruffling the sleeves of his parka as his head dropped down again.  
  
Taking a seat by his side, Donovan tried a different approach, "Bet you have a name. Mine's Sally."  
  
She watched in earnest amusement as the boy mumbled something into his coat. She fished out from her pocket a scuffed card, the embossed letters of her name and position stood out in black ink. She hovered it close to the boy's face.  
  
"You see, Sally Donovan. Got my name and everything."  
  
The boy didn't reach for the card but instead leaned forward to stare at it, his little eyes widening as he spoke, " _Detective? Y_ ou're a detective? _"_  
  
Not helping the sudden burst of ego that rushed through her at the boy's awe, Donovan joked, "Well, yeah. It's on the card, innit?"  
  
"I want to be a detective." The boy added quietly before continuing, "I suppose you do a lot of solving crimes, don't you?"  
  
"Only on the good days," She joked, before leaning in to whisper teasingly, "they make me do a lot of paperwork."  
  
" _No_." The hushed shock of the boy almost caused Donovan to break character before she parodied on, nodding solemnly.  
  
"Oh yeah, stacks of it. But most days, we get to do a lot of cool stuff."  
  
Seemingly impressed, the boy began to press for more details but suddenly tarmac floors echoed the arrival of strangers, though Donovan immediately recognized the approaching figures.  
  
For the former, she gave an quick smile to her superior but couldn't help to be surprised at the sight of his companion, a face she hadn't seen for a long while.  
  
"Keeping up late again, Donovan?" Lestrade called out to her, his own smile stopping short at the sight of boy beside her. "Hang on, you left him here!?"  
  
Donovan watched on in confusion as Lestrade turned to Sherlock Holmes, the graying detective who took very little notice of the Inspector's indignation, instead knelled in front of the boy, quick to pull the child's hands into his.

"William, are you well?" Holmes asked quietly, the boy nodding quickly before shooting a corner glance at Donovan.  
  
Donovan, lost in the developments, turned to the Inspector for further elaboration but received only a frustrated shrug. She fell onto her own investigations, "Wait a second, Holmes. You left a boy---"  
  
"My son." Holmes corrected her swiftly, his face hardening as if to expect a tirade. "There's no safer place than the Met for a child." The second part came almost reluctantly, convincing neither of them of its argument but Donovan watched as Holmes's hand tightened over the boy's. The family resemblance was undeniable as Holmes, the bloody consulting detective, clung to his son, a stark mirror of his father with darkish curls.  
  
She swallowed her rebuke, the heavy guilt that now riddled the detective's face made it feel somehow redundant.  
  
"Get him home, Sherlock." Lestrade sighed, rubbing his eyes, "And you better be doing the same, Donovan."  
  
Before she could depart, Donovan felt a slight tug at her sleeves, looking down into familiar inquisitive eyes.  
  
"I would very much like to have the card----please." The boy, Holmes's Son,  _William_ asked bashfully, though an eager hand stretched out to receive it.  
  
She ignored both Lestrade and Holmes's faces as she placed the card into his palm with a warm smile, whispering conspiratorially to him, "Give me a call if he leaves you in a supermarket or something, alright?"  
  
She thought nothing of the twitch Holmes made as he caught her whisper.  
  
William, unlike his father, glowed with joy before nodding slowly. He gave her a clumsy salute with his padded sleeve as he muttered, "Detective."  
  
Donovan followed his little nod of farewell with her own, " _Detective_."  
  
Straightening up, Donovan finally looked to Holmes who appeared in wonder at the conversation before him. She watched him gulped uncomfortably before giving her a sharp nod of his head, leading his son towards the exit.  
  
"Got yourself a fan there." Lestrade spoke just as the doors closed behind the Holmeses.  
  
Donovan just shrugged, unable to shake the warm smile off her face, "The first from that family, I imagine."

**Author's Note:**

> gracias a todos. besitos para todos y os quiero muchoooooo!


End file.
